MIDDLESBROUGH AC sprinter Richard Kilty put himself to the top of the UK sprinting tree with two magnificent performances in the United States.

Competing in the Sun Angel Classic meeting in Arizona, Kilty first revised his 100m personal best by winning with an Olympic B standard time of 10.23secs, pushing training partner and former Olympic relay gold medallist Mark Lewis Francis down into third place.

But with it being just his first run of the season, he will no doubt continue to improve as the season progresses.

Kilty, who is in Arizona with his coach Linford Christie’s training group, returned later in the day to contest the 200m.

He then finally removed any doubt as to the legality of his 20.53 time set in Switzerland last year by winning the race in a new personal best time of 20.50secs, well inside the Olympic A standard of 20.55.

In comparison to last year, Kilty opened with 10.8 and 22.0 but ended the season with bests of 10.32 and 20.53.

Kilty’s personal bests follow the breakthrough he made indoors, where he smashed his 60m PB with 6.61.

He had to cut short his indoor season after picking up a slight hamstring problem, but he had been hoping to run much faster.

“I felt I was in shape to run 6.5,” said Kilty of having to pass up the chance to compete at the Aviva Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham. But outdoors is where it matters most.”

The 22-year-old is in the shape and form of his life.

An English Schools 100m champion in 2006 and 2007, he was captain of the GB team at the 2008 IAAF World Juniors in Bydgoszcz, where he made the semi-finals of his favoured 200m.

But his progress stalled a little as he trained alone in Middlesbrough and Gateshead before moving to London last year to team up with Linford Christie and his training group.

After running lifetime bests last weekend, Kilty tweeted: “Two new PBs and an A standard in my first race. I’m just getting warmed up though, there’s a lot more to come – this is nothing.”

Kilty’s ambition now is to reach the Olympic final in the 200m. If he does, as an Olympian he will be able to get his biggest supporter – his father Kevin – a ticket.

Kilty senior was a 10.8 sprinter in his younger days before turning to bodybuilding and later becoming a bodyguard.

But he failed to get any Olympic tickets when he applied last year.

“My dad will get the first ticket if I make the team,” promised Kilty junior. “He’s funded my athletics career and sacrificed so much.”